Devices for the sterilization of liquid agar using principals of heat transfer upon vapor condensation are known. In general, such sterilizers have a sterilization chamber having a drain and a door, a jacket surrounding the chamber in whole or in part, and a plumbing system of piping and valves. Heated vapor, such as steam, is introduced into the jacket and through the jacket into the chamber after any appropriate conditioning of the load has taken place. Leak-free joints and connections are necessary in order to efficiently maintain the desired pressure and temperature within the chamber and jacket during the sterilization cycle. It is therefore desirable to provide a secure seal between the sterilizer door and the sterilizer chamber throughout the sterilization cycle.
Current sterilizers use a variety of door sealing mechanisms including door seals activated by fluid under pressure. Of particular relevance to this invention are sterilizers that employ a door seal activated by pressure from the introduction of heated fluid into a door seal activation space, and having a constant bleed stream of fluid flowing out of the door seal activation space throughout the sterilization cycle when the door seal is activated. Known sterilizers employing such a door seal do not direct the door seal bleed stream into proximity with the drainage stream from the sterilization chamber in a manner causing heat to be transferred from the door seal bleed stream to the chamber drain stream.
Blockage frequently is encountered in the plumbing systems of current sterilizers during the sterilization of liquid agar. The blockage can result from spills within the sterilization chamber when sterilizing liquid agar. The spill may occur if the liquid agar boils over the edges of its container, the container breaks, or the container is upended within the sterilization chamber. Once the spilled liquid agar drains from the chamber, it cools and solidifies downstream from the chamber where there is insufficient heat to remove the blockage. Once a blockage is formed, current sterilizers are inoperable until the blockage can be located and removed.
Current sterilizers are piped using discrete components without regard to the sterilizer function served by the particular pipe, valve or joint. This plumbing system is labor intensive in manufacturing the sterilizer, and results in complexities in spacing the piping and in maintaining and servicing the sterilizer. A failure or other malfunction of a valve, pipe, joint or other component in the plumbing system causes the entire sterilizer to be inoperable until the component is repaired or replaced. Routine maintenance of the plumbing system and its components also incapacitates the sterilizer until the maintenance is completed. Current sterilizer plumbing systems also create complexities in spacing between piping that renders access to the pipes inconvenient.
There is therefore a need to develop a sterilizer that prevents blockage from the solidification of spilled liquid agar downstream from the sterilization chamber. There is also a need to develop a sterilizer that simplifies the plumbing system so that repairs and maintenance can be more easily accomplished without the necessity of incapacitating the sterilizer, and so access to the plumbing system components can be more easily achieved.